Mind Altering Plants Rooted in Human Society


  • Use of psychoactive plants dates to earliest societies
    • mix of medicine & spirituality
    • 6,000 years ago, Opium = ‘joy plant’


  • Hieroglyphs show prominent use in Ancient Egypt
    • belief that certain plants have spiritual properties
    • ashwagandha, lotus, reed, acacia, henbane, opium


  • ‘Spirit Molecule’ in indigenous tribes of the Amazon
    • Ayahuasca vine and Chacruna shrub
    • molecule ‘DMT’ powerful hallucinogen


  • DMT from Acacia used in many cultures
    • ‘Golden Wattle’ is botanical emblem of Australia

Psychoactive Drugs



  • Affect nervous system by influencing neurotransmitters
    • or mimicking them
    • neurons → transmitters → receptor
    • inhibitory or excitatory


  • Psychoactives can be stimulants, hallucinogens or depressants
    • narrow line between medicinal, psychoactive & toxic


  • Stimulants = excite and enhance mental alertness
  • Hallucinogens = change perception
  • Depressants = dull mental awareness & induce sleep

Psychoactive Drugs: Narcotics



  • Narcotics depression central nervous system
    • also defined as addictive


  • Psychoactive plants fall into both categories


  • Active compounds are mostly alkaloids
    • contain nitrogen, bitter, affect CNS


  • Many angiosperms families contain psychoactive alkaloids
    • nightshade, poppy, coffee, coca, nutmeg & morning glory

Opium Poppy: An Ancient Curse


  • Large annual herb, ovary matures into capsule
    • Native to Middle east
    • green capsule produces latex w/ alkaloids
    • Dried latex is crude opium


  • Opium (Papaver somniferum) present in early societies
    • Babylonian and Egyptian writings
    • pain relief & inducing sleep
    • addictive properties became ‘curse’


  • Uses differ throughout history
    • dissolved in wine
    • dissolved in alcohol (laudanum)
    • eaten & smoked

The Lure of Laudanum


Opium Wars


  • Opium use tied to history of China
    • use increased when tobacco was introduced (1600)
    • addiction increased, banned by Emperor


  • Addiction fueled by trade with British!
    • Chinese had no interest in European goods
    • wanted silver or Opium


  • British East India Company smuggled in opium
    • opium widely cultivated in India


  • Chinese gov’t tried to stop smuggling
    • 2 Opium Wars, starting in 1839
    • 25% of Chinese addicted

Opium Alkaloids



  • More than 20 alkaloids identified in Opium


  • Morphine = named after Greek god of dreams
    • first active principle isolated
    • unsurpassed in pain relief
    • depresses areas in brain involved in pain perception
    • highly addictive


  • Codeine is one of the most commonly used opiates
    • oral analgesic
    • 1/5 as strong as morphine
    • suppresses coughs

Soldiers Disease: Did Civil War Start Opiod Epidemic?


Heroin



  • In 1898, BAYER introduced heroin
    • believed was a nonaddictive opiate
    • semi-synthetic used widely over-the-counter
    • Americans could order from Sears


  • Heroin is actually 6x more addictive than morphine
    • no longer medicinally used in USA
    • no longer legally produced in USA


  • India still produces heroin for medicine


  • Middle east and Asian countries large illegal production

Marijuana: One of the Oldest Cultivated Plants




  • Cannabis sativa is a dioecious plant, with resin production on trichomes
    • resin is source of psychoactive compounds
    • native to central Asia, grown globally


  • Marijuana is highly variable is size and growth
    • potentially 3 separate species


  • Used for various purposes in many cultures
    • hallucinogen, fiber, oil

Early history of Cannabis



  • Use of Cannabis traced to ancient China
    • valued from fiber and medicine
    • Emperor Nung (5,000 years ago) recommended for medicine


  • Ancient nomadic Asian horsemen first records of smoking
    • ritual ceremonies ~500 B.C.


  • Spread from Asian to India ~600 B.C.
    • folk medicines use extensively
    • 1 of 5 sacred plants
    • bhang (variety) sold outside Hindu temples

Introduction of Cannabis to the West


  • Europeans cultivated hemp fibers for centuries
    • use as psychoactive around 19th century


  • Rumored Napoleon’s armies popularized smoking
    • popular in Paris (1850’s) among intellectuals


  • US from Mexico or Caribbean (~1900)
    • recreational and over-the-counter medicine
    • eliminated medicinal use


  • Federal Marijuana Tax Act (1937)
    • gov’t ‘educational campaigns’

Pyschoactive Effects of THC



  • Chemistry of Cannabis is unique phenolic compounds
    • cannabinoids not alkaloids
    • THC (psychoactive) identified in 1964


  • THC concentration varies by strain, sex, climate & growing conditions
    • effects include euphoria and calmness


  • Regions of the brain contain cannabinoid receptors
    • THC receptors in high densities in several brain areas
    • THC receptors found in immune system cells
    • THC mimics naturally produced cells for these receptors

The Origins of Cocaine


  • Cocaine is the major alkaloid of coca plant (Erthroxylum)
    • small shrub with shiny leaves
    • native to Andes mountains of S.America


  • Alkaloids can be harvested from leaves 2-3 times a years


  • Archaeology evidence indicates plants used for at least 3500 years
    • believed a god created coca plant


  • Coca chewing was mostly restricted to ruling class
    • soldiers and workers allowed for endurance


  • Coca leaves exchanged for food

Freud, Holmes & Coca-Cola



  • Modern history begins with isolation of cocaine in 1850’s
    • Sigmund Freud was a huge advocate


  • Cocaine became over-the-counter drug in the USA
    • effective in draining sinuses and curing headaches
    • Coca-wine one of the most popular beverages


  • In 1886, Atlanta pharmacist created Coca-Cola
    • ‘brain tonic’
    • cocaine removed in 1903


  • Widespread use evident in 19th & 20th century literature
    • Sherlock Holmes was a cocaine user

Harrison Act (1914): First Anti-narcotic Law


Medical Uses of Cocaine





  • Cocaine acts as local anesthetic
    • blocks nerves receptor at application site


  • Common synthetic local anesthics similar to cocaine
    • Novocain, lidocaine, xylocaine


  • Constricts blood vessels, reducing blood flow
    • popular in many surgeries

Tobacco: A New World Habit


  • Nicotania is a genus of 65 species
    • annual herb w/ large leaves
    • native to Americas & Australia
    • cultivated in Andes ~5000 B.C.


  • Nicotine is major alkaloid in tobacco
    • most addictive plant psychoactive in widespread use


  • Mayans & Aztecs used for pleasure, rituals and medicines
    • 2 Mayan gods were depicted as habitual smokers


  • Modern cigarette appears in Europe after Crimean war
    • first cigarette machine in 1881
    • really increased after WW1

Nicotine Effects



  • One of the most toxic plants poisons
    • ingestion of a few drops is lethal
    • carcinogen


  • Acts as a stimulant on the CNS


  • Acts on the peripheral nervous system
    • blocks heat, pain & hunger signals
    • increases heart rate


  • Tobacco industry now on the defensive
    • advertising and promotion banned